Wichita sees job growth in April, unemployment rate falls

The unemployment rate in the Wichita metro area declined by half a percent in April, partly because of a decline in the labor force and partly because of new jobs.

The Kansas Department of Labor reported Friday that the area’s unemployment rate, without accounting for seasonal fluctuations, was 5.3 percent last month, down from 5.8 percent in March.

The labor force shrunk slightly, by about 600 people to 299,900. People who are employed or who are actively looking for jobs are counted as members of the labor force.

Meanwhile, employment grew by about 1,100 month over month.

Year over year, employment in the Wichita metro area was up by about 850.

The state does not calculate seasonally adjusted unemployment rates for metro areas.

However, it does adjust metro-level job totals based on seasonal fluctuations. The Kansas Department of Labor reports that the area saw an increase of 1,400 jobs between March and April on a seasonally adjusted basis, a gain of 0.5 percent.

The Wichita metro area, for the purposes of this data, includes Butler, Harvey, Sedgwick and Sumner counties. The Office of Management and Budget added Kingman County to the Wichita MSA last year, but the change is not yet reflected in the state employment data.